In Central Africa, the rapidly developing industrial mining sector and the planned infrastructural works over the coming decade will both increase claims on forest land and have considerable impact on those who depend on the forests for their livelihoods. This is the case for the trans-boundary TRIDOM (Dja-Odzala-Minkébé) landscape, that covers a surface of 141.000 km² in Congo, Gabon and Cameroon and includes 35.968 km² (24 %) of protected areas. It has been identified by COMIFAC (Commission des Forêts d'Afrique Centrale) as one of the 12 priority landscapes for biodiversity conservation in the Congo Basin.

Until recently the TRIDOM landscape stayed relatively untouched because of its inaccessibility but in the next couple of years several infrastructural projects like railways, roads, mining and agricultural projects are foreseen. The respective governments do not seem to be adequately prepared for these upcoming large-scale developments: no trans-boundary development plan or land use plan have been presented and the level of involvement of population and other stakeholders is low. Therefore the GEF TRIDOM project implemented by UNOPS aims to mobilise the support of the concerned states and COMIFAC for the land use planning process in the TRIDOM landscape.